“Everybody help themselves.”

He made an effort to sound as light and happy as possible, springing back from the table into the ring of chairs.

“There’s more inside if anyone wants any.”

When nobody made a move he bent and passed the plate of biscuits to Mike. Grudgingly and silently the plate moved around the circle. Kurt watched as Quinn broke one in half and began to nibble at a corner self-consciously. Finn engulfed three into his hand and then balanced them on his knee, one on top of the other, crumbs tumbling down his jeans and through the slats of the porch. Slowly, Rachel slipped out from where she lay under Finn’s arms and slid to her knees to pour herself a coffee. Silently she looked up and carefully shook the pot, looking around the circle to see if anyone also wanted one. Sam and Santana’s eyes met hers, and she kept pouring.

With a sigh, Kurt rocked on his heels and pressed his hands together.

“So…”

He looked round the circle once more. Where had their life and energy gone? Santana took an offered cup and saucer from Rachel; Sam did the same. They both began to sip quietly. Kurt’s face fell in disappointment and he looked purposefully at Finn. Finn blinked back as if to say, what?

Kurt stretched his fingers in agitation, but then checked himself. Why was he so nervous? So jumpy? Was it because Blaine wasn’t here? Because this was the first time he’d been properly alone with his friends in…in a long time?

“Come on guys; we’ve got Nationals in a week. We’re going to New York.”

It didn’t take any effort for his voice to rise into a squeak of excitement. Tina caught his eye but then turned away.

“What’s wrong with all of you?”

Finn shifted awkwardly in his chair.

“Kurt, come on man, don’t push it.”

“Don’t push what?”

Santana flicked her head up. She couldn’t help her tongue.

“The huge elephant missing from the room. And it’s pint sized calf.”

“What?”

He really didn’t understand. And now they were all looking at him. Finn spoke up again.

“What do you expect us to talk about, Kurt?”

His voice went up a notch in anger and he didn’t try to check it. Kurt’s sugary mood was beginning to get under his skin.

“We can't talk about the trial; we’ve barely talked about what happened…at all. And…and without Puck and Lauren we don’t even have enough people to qualify for Nationals. Puck’s not even been in school since the trial started. We’re back to square one.”

Kurt ran the pad of his thumb over his smooth, clean nails. Wow; how had he forgotten all of this? In the few short days since his own part in the trial had ended, well…he’d just pushed all that pain out of his head. But now he saw it reflected in Finn’s eyes, and on the faces of everyone else. Whose turn had it been today? He knew he couldn’t ask. Finn had to go back on Friday. Blaine…well…it depended. Kurt physically felt his emotions settle to the level of his friends. He sank into a vacant part of the wicker swing seat beside Mercedes and Sam.

Finn shifted again, now ashamed at the change his words had caused in his brother’s expression.

“Look, we don’t blame you for trying, Kurt.”

He waved his hands at the table.

“It’s all really good of you. It’s just…just…”
-
“You know you don’t have to do this right now…you’re probably not allowed to by some rule anyway…”

Puck slid his hand out of Lauren’s and wiped it on his jeans; it was slippery with nervous sweat. But he placed his other on the car’s door handle defiantly.

“No, no, I have to. I really want to. I just...I just want to say hi to them both; they’ve both done so much for me.”

She smiled at him, puckering her lips in that way that always got him.

“You know something, Puckerman? I like brave you. It makes a change.”

Puck smiled too. Damn, she knew how to twist him.

“Well, get used to it.”

Lauren raised her eyebrows above her glasses.

“Ooo; cocky too now, are we?”

Puck bit on the inside of his cheek to stop himself grinning; he couldn’t give her the satisfaction. But she smirked and chuckled anyway. Puck looked at her profile in the evening sunlight that was streaming through the window. Against the green leafy trees and white houses, which shone through the window, she looked pretty special. He leant over to punch her playfully on the shoulder, but then planted a kiss on her cheek.

“Just…just, thanks for coming.”

She paused for a second, but then shrugged.

“No problem.”

Quickly, before she could blush, Lauren slapped her hands down onto the steering wheel.

“But are we gonna sit here all night, or are you gonna get out of my car?”

Puck smiled once more.

“Alright, alright.”

He pushed on the door and pulled himself out into the cool evening. He edged forwards onto the sidewalk, mentally rechecking the house number on the mailbox. Yeah, they were in the right place. He swallowed dryly. Lauren slipped her arm through his and pulled him forwards down the path to the front door. They climbed the steps and she rang the bell.

“You know…”

She whispered in his ear, as the sound of grating wooden chairs drifted through an open window,

“It’s weird, but I have kinda missed Glee club.”

A hazy silhouette appeared in the glass of the door. Lauren lowered her voice further.

“But you tell anyone that and you won’t sit down for a week.”
-
“I dunno…I guess I’ve always just liked both…”

Rachel’s voice drifted through Kurt’s closed eyes.

“Really? Most people have a favourite.”

“I know, but not me, I guess. I like tea in the morning, and coffee at night, but that can change. Plus it’s not that great for my voice, so sometimes I’ll go without it for a while.”

Brittany’s voice chimed up.

“Coffee makes me sleepy.”

Kurt sighed and ground his fingers into his closed eyes. Had there ever been a more mind-numbing conversation? Slowly he opened his closed lids, checking the time on his phone. Ten to nine. Should he just end this now and admit defeat? He looked slowly around the circle. Mike was slowly trying to form of house of cards out of the remaining biscuits, and most of them were watching him, entranced with boredom. Quinn was sitting on the floor, leaning back against the side of Artie’s chair, eyes closed as his had been. Tina gave a huge yawn, only half hidden behind her hand as she caught his eyes. Kurt sighed again and flipped his cell in his hands. What would Blaine be doing now? His mom had taken him home that morning; home, a huge aching forty-five minute drive away that seemed further than the moon at this moment. Kurt clicked his phone into life, smiling as that gorgeous face appeared as his background; the two of them, curled on one of the ancient benches outside of the Dalton Dining Hall, smiling in the sun. He remembered Jeff snatching his phone to take the picture, making some joke about them looking cute enough to eat. It had only been a day or so after they’d gone public with everything; and looking at that photo now, it seemed like a lifetime ago.

But Kurt could still smile. Something in his mind, some amazing part of himself, had already tidied away the painful memories of the past month, squashing them into some dark corner and letting happiness swell to fill the gap that remained. Even when Blaine had crumpled under the questioning of the trial, or when he’d had to face it himself…even in those dark times, any fear had only lasted a moment. Because Kurt had realised all he needed to do was to look at Blaine, see that beautiful face and the painful scar, and he would be true to his word of all those days ago in the hospital: he would not take Blaine for granted. And in doing so, he found he just couldn’t be sad.

As Mike’s tower of biscuits collapsed with a round of hollow laughter, he glanced at the glowing clock again. Five minutes to. Would Blaine still be awake? Kurt knew his mom had been insistent about him getting rest over the last few days, probably rightly so, but Kurt still had an overwhelming urge to call him. Just to hear his voice. Physically holding himself back, Kurt forced his fingers instead to tap the message icon. One text couldn’t hurt, could it? And he’d get it in the morning if he was asleep. Kurt stared at the blank box, wondering how to sum everything up. He knew Blaine had worried about the consequences of getting them all together as a group again, and now Kurt could see he’d been right, but he didn’t want to tell him that; didn’t want to disappoint him, or make him nervous, and he knew Blaine would find some adorable way to blame himself for the problems they were having. No, he had to say something different. His fingers began to glide across the screen.

‘Wish you were here. I love you. Xxxx’

Send.

Kurt smiled once more as their picture reappeared on the screen. Then his head snapped up and he quickly shoved the phone away as the back door swung open. Carole stood there, looking nervous. She looked around the circle, her eyes lingering on Finn and Kurt, then she stepped forwards. Kurt thought he saw something move behind her in the doorway.

“Boys, there’s some people here to see you.”

Kurt slid his legs off the seat. Rachel attempted to surreptitiously remove her hand from Finn’s knee, and he quickly stood up to hide the movement from his mother, banging his knee against the low coffee table, rattling the empty cups.

“Wh...ow...is it?”

Carole turned over her shoulder for a second and Kurt saw her whisper something. Who could it be? His heart jumped at the thought that it could be Blaine; but why would Carole have said ‘some people’? Quickly he pulled his cell back out of his pocket and glanced at the screen. No reply. That could mean anything. But then Kurt registered a change in the atmosphere around him; a sharp intake of breath and a sudden refocusing of attentions. He looked back up. Standing there, hardly outside the doorframe, were Lauren and Puck.

Finn, unlike Kurt, had been watching the whole time, and had seen Puck emerge from behind his mom, eyes fixed to the floor, holding tight to Lauren’s hand. But Finn could sense something about him; something different from the last time he’d seen him in school, almost a week ago. He seemed harder, more solid; not the weakened thing that had returned after the whole…event. But this wasn’t the old Puck either. Finn blinked, trying to figure it out, but then realised with a start that he was still standing, gazing vacantly into Lauren’s puzzled face. He jumped, crashing against the table once more.

“Oh…hi…Hi, guys. Um…”

He looked around himself and then moved forwards to leave his chair empty. At the same time his mom edged forwards between Kurt and Mike with an anxious look, and rescued her china from the table, sweeping it up and away onto the tray and disappearing back through the door. Best to leave them alone for the moment.

Puck edged forwards to let Carole by him, and looked up and around the group.

“Hey guys. Sorry to just drop in, but…”

His voice faded away.

“Do you…do you wanna sit down?”

Finn watched Lauren look back at Puck; his eyes were wide for a moment, but then he nodded.

“Yeah, thanks.”

Puck let go of her hand so that she could cross the circle and slide into the vacant chair, sitting stiffly, not wanting to look as though she’d assumed she was welcome. All the same, as she sat, Lauren quickly picked a biscuit from the plate that had been forgotten by Finn’s mom.

Finn and Puck watched each other awkwardly, still standing. Slowly, Finn moved so that he too faced into the circle. For some reason he found himself looking at Kurt, looking for help. Kurt caught his eye and swallowed.

“Uh, it’s good to see you guys. Did you get my messages about…this?”

He waved his hand at the poor excuse for a gathering, but at the same time used it as an excuse to check his phone again. No, still no reply. Blaine must be asleep.

“Yeah; yeah, thanks.”

Finn looked at Puck. Even when he spoke in familiar monosyllables in was clear that something had changed; it was like he was protected, as if he had some suit of armour or something that gave him…not confidence, it wasn’t that. Puck had always had that…before. No this was something different. It was like he was…steeled. Noah caught his watching eyes, but turned slightly away, addressing the whole group.

“So, so what’ve you done so far? What have we missed?”

His eyes ran full circle and ended on Kurt, the host.

Kurt bit his lip in consideration. The truth?

“Nothing; we haven’t even started really…”
Rachel rocked up onto her knees and interrupted him.

“But, now that you guys are here, well, we’re all here. So we can practice!”

Finn smiled at the cute joy in her voice.

Santana leaned back over her chair to give Puck a smirk and drawl.

“Oh yay! Thanks guys; because I was just beginning to die from lack of glee-ing out.”

Puck looked at Lauren with a spark in his eye, remembering her comment on the steps, a smile almost breaking on his lips, but she edged her glasses down her nose and mimed crushing something with her hand, mouthing “One-whole-week”. He gulped; clapping his hands together instead, and moving forwards to push Santana back to facing the others, ignoring her.

“Alright, let’s do it.”
-
Finn found the transformation in the group weirdly unsettling; that just by being completely reunited outside of school, they’d slotted back into the dynamic they’d lost weeks ago, just so easily. He had to give credit to Kurt; he’d never believed it would work and had actually tried to stop him inviting everyone, but God did it feel good to just laugh and joke again. No-one brought up anything about the last few weeks as they drilled their set list, all crowding around Sam’s guitar, which eventually passed to Puck as Sam’s wrist began to hurt. But even that…or the memories it might have brought…didn’t seem to be able to stop them. Finn smiled as he saw again the hilarity of Sam having to stop every three words to shout chord patterns, and Puck only just getting there by the end of the phrase, before he had to change again. Musically, it might have ranked pretty low, but in terms of being what they needed, it was perfect.

He heard his name, and he looked up from where he was helping Kurt wash up the cups and plates they’d used. Rachel was pointing to him, but then bent and whispered something to Mercedes and Tina. They looked up at him, with an overwhelmingly female expression that meant nothing to Finn. He laughed and went back to drying up. After they’d finished the practice it had been almost completely dark, and everyone had just tumbled back into the house, driving Burt and his mom upstairs, filling the kitchen and grabbing snacks. Strange how being happy again made you suddenly hungry. And so that was where they were sat now, at almost eleven.

“Hey, Kurt?”

Artie’s voice floated over the chatter as he swivelled from where he sat at the head of the table.

Kurt half turned his chin from the basin and flicked it in recognition, keeping his hands, in their rubber gloves, in the soapy water.

“Uh hu?”

“How’s Blaine?”

Finn jolted out of his musings, and heard a slight hush go round behind him. But Kurt didn’t react, well at least not in the way he expected. Instead, from his side view, Finn saw a secret smile stretch over Kurt’s lips. His brother’s eyes flicked sideways, knowing Finn was there, and the smile was tucked away again, but not before it reached his eyes.

“He’s fine. Good, actually. He would have been here, but his mom took him home today; Dalton said there was no point in him coming back for just the last week of the semester. But he told me to say hi to you all from him.”

“Wait; they finish next week? But we’ve got almost a month to go?”

It was Santana.

“Yeah; private schools, huh? Who’d leave them?”

Kurt smiled again, he couldn’t help himself. He caught Finn’s eyes and saw the understanding spread. Finn smiled too. They were ok.

There was a shuffling behind them and then Puck’s voice, asking tentatively, as worried about breaking the atmosphere as any of them.

“Was…was he ok after…after the other day?”

Again Finn froze; he had stuck to the word of the lawyer guy, Mr Chambers, even if he did think the guy was a dick, and hadn’t told Kurt about his conversation with Blaine in the hallway. He’d figured that, as Kurt had been in the court anyway, he probably understood more about it than Finn did; but keeping the secret still made him uneasy. Kurt passed the last glass to Finn and turned to face the room, pulling the gloves slowly from his hands.

“Yeah; I mean…”

He saw the eyes of all the others on him, and realised only he, Puck and Lauren understood what Noah was referring to.

“Well, once he came back, and they…changed it, then he seemed fine. He was a bit quiet afterwards, but it didn’t last that long.”

Finn wondered how much of that was true; from the Blaine he’d seen in the corridor, crying with rage and fear, he imagined not much. He turned into the room to look at Kurt’s face, trying to work his own into a suitable look of concern and confusion.

Across the room Puck just nodded, trying to abandon the awkward moment. Kurt made an odd movement; half smile, half shrug, and turned to put the gloves in the cupboard underneath the sink.

Tina broke the silence, glancing at her watch.

“Well, I guess we sh…”

CCCCrrrrraaaaaaaassssssssshhhhhhhh.

Someone screamed and Kurt recoiled, raming his head into the underside of counter and tumbling to the side. Finn stared at his hands, heart pounding; the glass had just…just disappeared from between his fingers. Bright shards of it now littered the floor. There was a moment when no one breathed or moved. Tina had plastered her hand over her mouth, Rachel had frozen with her eyes pressed closed, and Puck’s were impossibly wide, one arm held half extended, as if he could have caught the glass from where he was.

The sound; the shattering, jarring crash, pierced their memories. Kurt let out a low moan, clasping at the top of his head, and then his memories surfaced in turn. He backed against the cupboard, away from the glass, and froze. There was another beat of silence.

“Wow.”

Finn didn’t know who’d spoken; it sounded like one of the girls, but he was still staring at the empty towel in his hands, the shock of the sudden sound still catapulting through his head. ‘Wow’ was right…he was right back in that place, right back under the piano, hearing those…sounds echo down the corridors.

Slowly, one by one, they came back to the present.

“Hell, Kurt, are you ok?”

Mercedes said, rising off her chair and treading over the broken glass to crouch by his side.

“Yeah…yeah, I’m fine.”

He stammered, sliding slowly upright against the sideboard, hand held gingerly against his head.

“I’m not cut or anything, I don’t think.”

He swapped hands to check, and brushed at his trousers.

“No, no, I’m ok.”

Finn let his check relax with a huff of air.

“Shoot, guys, I’m so sorry. I d…I didn’t…I’m just too clumsy.”

There was a general murmur of “Don’t worry…don’t be silly…not your fault.” Puck gently pushed himself up from the table and used the hand that he was still holding out to point at the floor.

“Finn, is there a brush or something for…?”

“What? Oh…oh yeah.”

He threw the towel onto the draining board and passed Kurt to head into the hallway. Tiny pieces of the glass had flown to even the doorframe, and it squealed as he drew it open and passed through. Puck took a step forward, and stood awkwardly behind Lauren, waiting to be useful.

Kurt looked over everyone’s faces, and saw what he had imagined a number of times before; what it had been like for them to hear the shots. His head throbbed and he blinked. He sniffed.

“I guess we’re never going to be as over it as we think we are.”

Rachel caught his eye and looked away. Sam nodded worriedly.

“That was so quick. I was right back there. And it’s just like that night; all of us here again…”

Tina realised she was still holding back her sleeve to look at her watch. She picked up Mike’s hand from the table and opened her mouth to speak, but Rachel’s voice stopped her. Her eyes brimmed with tears as she spoke, staring solemnly at her closed hands.

“I…I’m sorry guys; it was my stupid rehearsal that put us all in that position in the first place…”

Kurt saw Puck visibly flinch at the searching of a still-fresh scar. He mumbled something intelligible; but Kurt caught fragments: “C’mon…always…my…blame.” Whatever he’d said made Lauren slide her hand up into his. Finn pushed the door back open, grating it once again over the glass, brush in hand. But he wasn’t looking at the glass; instead he gazed in slight shock and repulsion at Rachel. He’d heard what she’d said and couldn’t believe it.

Santana also looked at Rachel; she would have liked to kick the sweatered excuse for a nose whilst she was down, but she couldn’t bring herself to.

“Well, maybe if we’d tried a bit harder before…I mean, we might not have needed the extra rehearsal…”

Wanting to avoid the jerking conversation, Puck took his hand from Lauren’s and stepped forwards, reaching to take the brush from Finn, but before he could, Finn had walked forwards, past Kurt and Mercedes and over the crunching broken glass, to face them all.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

There was silence once more. He looked straight at Rachel.

“Why would you say something like that? Why would you blame yourself?”

“Finn…”

She faltered, feeling the weight of his gaze on her.

“It was just…just because of the glass.”

She waved a hand at the still shimmering floor.

“And the memories…and it’s been on my mind the whole time, but I never got to say it to everyone, and I had to…”

“No, Rachel.”

She stopped, stunned.

“You didn’t have to tell anyone, because it’s rubbish. This whole…thing. It’s no one’s fault here. No one’s.”

He looked pointedly at Puck, then noticed his outstretched hand and passed the brush over. “It never was and it never could be. We have to stop putting all this on our own shoulders, guys.” His eyes moved once over the room.

“You saw how much better we were tonight; even better than how we used to be, yeah? We need to use that; grow from this and turn it on itself. Follow Puck’s example and be stronger for it. That way, we win.”

He stopped. All eyes were on him now, and he couldn’t help but wonder where the hell that speech had come from. With a small look, Puck gave him a unguarded smile, and turned to begin to sweep up the fragments of glass. He felt Kurt place a hand on his arm for a moment, and then turn to find something for the shards to be thrown out in. Tina and Mike stood up and began to say their goodbyes, as did Artie and the others. Finn breathed out as the clouds over them dissipated.

As the leavers moved towards the door, Puck straightened up and leant on the brush, hands clasped on the top of the handle.

“Guys, can I say something?”

He glanced at Kurt and Lauren, both standing beside him, helping to clear the mess.

“Whatever happened, or whatever might happen with this whole thing and with who gets blamed, and for how long, or for what…”

He glanced at Finn. He knew he was being overly vague, and that they all knew he meant the trial.

“I just wanna say…it wasn’t Glee Club that got me into this. Not by a long way.”

Lauren rested her hand on his arm. Puck looked at her and smiled, sadly at first but then growing in warmth.

“My dad couldn’t stand Glee club. He let me know that. He’d much rather I’d been a dumb jock, just like him. But you guys…”

His voice caught and snagged.

“You…”

He scratched at the side of his head.

“You’ve never got me into anything bad.”

He glanced at Quinn and then held Lauren’s hand.

“It’s always been good. So…so I just wanted to say that, like Finn said, you guys did nothing; none of you got us into this. But you got…you pulled me out of it…and thanks for that.”

Twenty minutes later, after everyone had gone and he was alone in his room, Kurt set his phone on his bedside table and plugged it in to charge. The screen lit up for a second and Kurt saw something; a small red dot. Inside himself, his heart lept, with all the heat and happiness of that first courage. He snapped the message open, and green and white message bubbles filled the screen, half overflowing with xxxxxxx's and smileys. He found his one; 'Wish you were here'. But now, underneath it he read:

'Just watch as it all works out. You guys are family; you'll get it right. I loooove you too, my knight in shining armour xoxo'

Kurt couldn't contain his smile, and he collapsed backwards onto the bed, phone and charging cable clasped to his chest. But even as he did so, the screen lit once more, and he sat up against his pillows.

'P.S. Now I'm awake and alone in the dark in bed. Wish you were here?'